


Little One

by Oparu



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Gen, Mirror Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-27
Updated: 2012-01-27
Packaged: 2017-10-30 04:44:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/327867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oparu/pseuds/Oparu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the Mirror Universe where the Cardassian/Klingon Alliance rules the Alpha Quadrant and Terrans are slaves, the Listener Empress, Guinan, discovers and trains a vital part of her court.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little One

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in a similar Mirror Universe to DS9's many years before my story [Shards and Fairy Tales](http://archiveofourown.org/works/226304). 
> 
> Written for writerverse on LJ. For the trope 'dark magical girl'. 
> 
> No major archive warnings apply, but this is a dark story, one of my darker fics.

The Empress flies her own ship down to Betazed. She passes through the quarantine zone on a black shuttle. Her battleship, _Silence_ , waits for her at the perimeter. Letting her crew wait for her will save their lives. At the height of their power, the Terran empire was unable to conquer Betazed and legions of troops died in the attempt. The third Emperor instituted the quarantine and only the foolish pass through.

Some well trained Vulcans can survive the mind storms that surround the planet, and the Empress' spies have been searching the population for what she needs. Betazed is a violent matriarchy with the aristocracy dominating all lesser minds. T'Pel reported that several of the young could be suitable, if Guinan can bring any of them under control.

She lands on the outskirts of the capital, setting down on a stone plaza. Betazed has little technology, much of the planet still relies on primitive methods of travel and farming. It's a lush planet, one that requires little effort to feed her people save planting in the right soil. T'Pel arrives, hidden in a dark cloak that seems too subdued for the vibrant colours around them. She bows low, lowering her eyes to the Empress' feet.

"Your Serene Highness."

"Curator T'Pel, I trust you are well."

"My health remains adequate to the task, Serenity." There is more white than grey in T'Pel's hair than when Guinan saw her last but it forms a beautiful contrast with her skin. She has many years of service left and will continue to be one of her most valuable slaves. "Do you require rest or nourishment?"

"I am content to proceed, thank you. How many candidates have you identified?"

"Four, but a fifth may be suitable if you are able to reach her, Serenity."

"Oh?"

"She has an incredible mind, one of great depth and strength, yet the threads of insanity are bright. The first four are all noble bred and content to serve, a male, Gart of the house of Xerx, and three females, Surra of distant relation to the thirteenth house, Mira and Naevia: both commoners. All will make suitable inquisitors with training, and it is possible Surra could become what you seek, however, I believe she is not strong enough."

"I am asking for a great deal, aren't I?"

T'Pel folds her hands, forever calm. "Perhaps, Serenity."

They walk through the richly landscaped streets. Betazed is a place of beauty, but the exquisite gardens are mostly tended by slaves with minds so warped they have no independent thought left. Some of these pass them on the street, smiling and nodding, as docile as cattle. They will not speak if Guinan attempts it. A few might brush her mind, but only to see what she wanted and how they might serve.

Betazed has the peace of a dead sea. Nothing stirs in the people walking by, no love, no spark of recognition; they continue with their tasks, minds blank. T'Pel takes her down a winding street and the flowers grow more ornate. Betazed is not formally part of the Empire, merely an honoured protectorate. Guinan arrived without fanfare and she is so removed from her people as the mysterious Listener Empress that no one knows her face. It is not until they stand on the graceful steps of the Troi mansion that anyone recognises her at all.

A tall valet nods to them, inviting them in without a word. He performs the complex double bow, honouring her as he would honour his mistress: the highest honour on Betazed. Guinan nods her thanks, and waits. Portraits of the ladies of the house line the walls, each larger and more terrible than the last. The Trois are the Fifth house, one of the few noble houses that has held itself together through madness and despair. Some suspect interbreeding with weaker minds, thinning the blood that poisons them, yet the Trois are all formidable telepaths.

Rhivanna Troi, the current matriarch, is an assassin of the highest price in Obsidian Order. Her ability to kill without marks or evidence has served the Order and the Empire well. Though she initially refused genetic bonding or breeding, having watched her own sisters go mad and find their ends brutally at their own hands, T'Pel was able to arrange that a suitable mate, a talented spy from the twelfth house, found Rhivanna's bed.

The result is the dark eyed little girl who stares up at Guinan as if she were as transparent as Tholian silk. Lwaxana sees into her soul, burning through the carefully constructed shields that Guinan carries around her thoughts. Guinan shores them up, sealing herself into obscurity with mental tricks still unknown to most in the galaxy. Lwaxana fights her, reaching out with brute force and a child's tenacity until she realises futility.

With tears in her eyes, the girl sits on the stairs, exposing round knees beneath the hem of her dress. "I can't see into your mind."

"Few can."

"I want to."

"Oh?"

"I need to be able to see into minds, or I can't be safe. Mother says--"

"I won't hurt you," Guinan promises, kneeling down and removing her ornately trimmed hat from her head. "I'm not dangerous."

"Your mind is powerful," Lwaxana argues, arms folded over her chest. "Power is dangerous."

"Are you dangerous?"

Lwaxana ponders this, looking from the valet who's raised her to the aliens before her. She focuses on T'Pel, testing her mind, but Guinan touches her hand, adding her strength to the Vulcan's through T'Pel's telepathic skill.

"Not fair."

"She is mine and you will not harm her."

Lwaxana stamps a foot, dark curls bouncing on her head. "I hurt who I want. I am Lwaxana Troi, daughter of the Fifth house, heir to the Sac- Sacred Chalice of Riix and the Holy Rings of Betazed. If I want to hurt your friend, I will hurt her."

Staring at T'Pel, Lwaxana lashes out with a fury that only a child can muster. She reaches into the Vulcan's mind and claws at her shields, as if battering her with her tiny fists. Guinan puts herself between, letting T'Pel find the pressure points on her wrist and use her as a mental shield. The valet is immune, obviously chosen for his mental shielding, but in the other rooms of the house, screams carry as Lwaxana's attack makes collateral damage of the house slaves.

Cheeks reddened, lip trembling and eyes damp, Lwaxana breaks her concentration, pushing herself off her seat. "You cheated."

"I protected what is mine."

"But I want her thoughts, her feelings; everyone else gives them to me."

"Curator T'Pel is a Vulcan, her mind will not break as easily as the Betazoids you control."

Glaring at T'Pel, Lwaxana takes a step towards Guinan, reaching for the golden bracelet on her wrist. "That's pretty."

Taking it off, Guinan holds it up. "I can give you rooms full of gold and latinum if you want them. Jewels beyond your wildest dreams, silks, brocades, toys--"

"I have toys and jewels," Lwaxana says, but she takes the bracelet, tracing the jewels with chubby fingers.

"You have old jewels, those passed down from your grandmother's grandmother. You will pass them on to your daughters, none of them are yours." Guinan crosses her legs and sits. "is that want you want?"

"I am--"

"Stuck, aren't you? You have your mother's house, your grandmother's jewels, your great-grandmother's valet--"

"This is my house!" The child's body remains still but her mind vibrates with fury.

'It can still be yours if you come with me."

Lwaxana slips the bracelet onto her arm and it slides all the way past her elbow. She crosses her arms over her chest again, suspicious. "What do you want me to do?"

"Learn."

"Learn what? Lwaxana asks, casting into Guinan's mind to again be turned back.

"Learn how I keep you out of my mind, how to overpower without killing, how to kill when you need too, what species are weaker than Betazoids and how it feels to be loved by an Empire."

Pulling Guinan's hat onto her head as if crowning herself Guinan's heir, Lwaxana stares at her, still unsmiling. "You aren't loved."

"It seems fear works as well."

"Would they fear me?" Lwaxana climbs into her lap, settling down to study the embroidery on Guinan's sleeve.

"They would look upon you and despair."

Lwaxana turns, nearly hitting Guinan with her own hat. "I'd like that."

"I'm sure you would."

T'Pel orders the valet to pack Lwaxana's things and Guinan walks hand-in-hand with her future High Inquisitor back to the shuttle. The others prove suitable. Mira becomes a great whisperer, hearing and passing secrets without being seen. Gart disappears into the ranks of enforcers, carrying out the Empress' will, Surra finds a more delicate place, ensuring loyalty in the Fourth Fleet, while Lwaxana, the stubborn little girl with a great fondness for the exotic, finds a place at Guinan's side. 

Guinan's guards learn to keep their minds open or risk death from the High Inquisitor's tantrums. Guinan's personal attendants learn to accomplish their tasks with their minds open to control, surrendering as necessary to stay alive. She loses some, but there are always more slaves. 

Many are unfortunate, and Guinan begins to crew the _Silence_ with those disposable. On Lwaxana's thirteenth birthday, they discover the newly conquered Ferengi slaves can handle the mindstorms and Guinan builds a crew of them. When Lwaxana comes of age, Guinan moulds her, teaching her the pleasures of the flesh with a Vulcan slave too fevered with Pon Farr to fall into Lwaxana's mind and never return to himself.

The first Betazoid she offers dies in Lwaxana's arms and so do the next twenty or so Betazoids they attempt. Lwaxana's first two children are born insane, their minds overwhelmed by their mother's before they draw breath. Guinan kills them both gently, but Lwaxana's grief ends an Andorian rebellion without landing any ground troops save for her, dressed in black.

The whispers of the High Inquisitor become legends that spread terror faster than any transwarp assault. Lwaxana forces two Intendants to drown in their lies and the rest become more loyal than they have ever been. Lwaxana rages and screams when Guinan asks her to again bear a child, but Guinan has to keep trying for the Empire. Lwaxana's mind is exquisite but singular, like great vessel _Silence_ itself and she must have more inquisitors to keep the peace. The High Inquisitor is more feared than the Listener Empress herself and mutterings of rebellion and succession fade further away in her presence. Even the Klingons fear her and the Klingon sector calms. 

When Guinan convinces Lwaxana to try again, promising that perhaps crossbreeding can help calm the madness, Lwaxana chooses Terrans from the available slaves. Terrans fair better in her bed, only bleeding instead of dying in Lwaxana's arms, and one of them, a particularly gentle concubine called Ian, gets her with child. The half-human child, a little girl called Kestra survives her birth and grows with a sunny disposition. Her powers have no yet manifest when a second child, Deanna, is born again with the Terran as her father. 

Brief and all the more terrible, Kestra's madness consumes her. Lwaxana loves the child and when she comes at Guinan, teeth bare and her once gentle mind screaming for blood against Guinan's mental shields, Lwaxana wraps her arms around her daughter and drowns her in the bath. Kestra feels no pain, her mother sees to that. 

Lifting the crying infant from her bed while her mother sobs for her sister, Guinan stares in Deanna's black eyes and hopes this one will live. Lwaxana deserves to see one daughter grow strong and the empire needs her. The Cardassians absorb Lwaxana's wrath for daring to sneak spies into the Ferengi slaves that pilot _Silence_. Guinan watches from the shadows as Lwaxana destroys the mind of the Cardassian Intendant and the newly promoted replacement pledges her loyalty with trembling words. 

While the slaves remove the bodies, Lwaxana nurses Deanna on the crystal throne. "Even you can't protect her, Empress."

"Would that we could protect any of our children." Guinan has put down too many skirmishes with one of her own children at the head to not share Lwaxana's grief. 

"Be strong, Little One," Lwaxana whispers to her daughter. "Be strong."

Stronger than her sister or as strong as her mother remains to be seen. Guinan will keep the peace, and Lwaxana is a valuable tool. Perhaps Deanna will also be so. If not, they could always try another man. Lwaxana is young yet and there is so much left to do. 


End file.
